Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a sports fanatic! As long as I can remember sports have been a big part of my life. My dad was a huge sports fan and I’m sure I inherited it from him. Being his first born of two daughters I was “the boy”. We played catch outside most afternoons and couldn’t get enough of TV sports – baseball, football, basketball, etc. I’ve taken pride my entire life that I can hold my own with any man in a discussion regarding sports.
A few weeks ago, Lou & I were in the car when “Werewolves of London”, the Warren Zevon song from the 1970s, came on the radio. It reminded me of sportscaster Chris “Boomer” Berman. Let me explain. Berman worked for ESPN since its inception in 1979 starting as an anchor of Sportscenter, a staple of the network. Along with hosting Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Primetime and covering numerous sporting events over 40+ years, Berman is well known for his various catchphrases (hence the title of this post), quirky demeanor & nicknames for sports stars. His “BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK” homerun calls during the MLB Home Run Derby are legendary.
But I digress, there is a line in “Werewolves of London” that says – “I saw a werewolf drinkin' a piña colada at Trader Vic's, his hair was perfect”. One of my favorite nicknames that Berman was famous for creating during his broadcasting career was of an NFL defensive back, Steve “Werewolves of” London. Berman added in his fast-paced commentary – “his hair was perfect!”
I’m hoping that some of you will recall these nicknames & remember how clever Chris Berman was to knock these out week after week as he reported the highlights of the games. If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, just shake your head & consider me a wacky sports nut. Hopefully you’ll get a kick out of them anyway.
Here are a few of my favorites. These are all sports stars of varying fame. Some of them require a little bit of thought & maybe saying them out loud.
Bert “Be Home” Blyleven
Andre “Bad Moon” Rison
John “I Am Not A” Kruk
Eddie “Eat Drink and Be” Murray
Sammy “Say it Ain’t” Sosa
Mike “Enough” Aldrete
Jim “Bela” Fregosi
Mike “Pepperoni” Piazza
Jim “Washer and” Dwyer
Todd “Which Hand Does He” Frohwith – (love this one!)
Mike “You’re in Good Hands With” Alstott
Todd “Highway To” Helton
Scott “Supercalifragilisticexpiali” Brocious – (this was #1 in fan voting)
I’ve been debating whether to write this post for a couple weeks now since it may be a little obscure for general audiences but decided to go for it. Chris Berman really is a legend in the sports announcing world. A six-time honoree of the National Sports Media Association’s National Sportscaster of the Year award, Berman helped establish ESPN’s lasting popularity during its formative years.
